Republic City or Bust
by Rionarch
Summary: There is a reason they never engineered Republic City to be a tourist trap or a place for pilgrimages. Korroh flair.
1. Whoops

AN: The start to a collection of one shots of Korra, Iroh, and co.'s adventures in Republic City, or, Why The City Should Never be a Tourist Trap.

...

He had been bored recently, especially since the return of what was left of Republic City's government from the South Pole- thankfully everyone was recovered. Because of the dire position Amon's revolution had left them in, General Iroh had no choice but to put the city under Martial Law until Tenzin and Avatar Korra returned to create the council again.

It was lucky for him that he saw an opportunity to have a little fun while waiting for his newest orders. Avatar Korra was going through the Wind Fan Obstacle Course looking lighter than air and grinning in a way that made wrinkles appear on the edges of her face. This wasn't the same avatar that desperately fished him out of Yue Bay. She was just about to end the tunnel when he made his move.

Slowly Iroh crept up and punched a fireball at the Avatar- she was not unaware. In the briefest of second her eyes opened and a high kick took the fire into the air. He shifted to right dominant side for the follow up, but her large hand already had a grasp on his elbow before anything else could happen.

Avatar Korra smirked at him before tossing him into the Fans and back kicked another fire shot at him. He wasn't the General for nothing, through, and shrugged off the flame to his sides.

That's when they started smelling the smoke. Avatar Korra looked rather panicked.

"Tenzin's going to _kill_ me." Iroh looked around him and agreed. When he had been thrown into crashed down at least four fans and another three were starting to smoulder.

"I believe this calls for a tactical retreat, Avatar Korra?" She nodded when Tenzin's unmutable screams started calling for her. Fast as air, she grabbed him again and dragged him down to the docks at a breakneck speed in order to get to o the mainland of the city.

"KORRA!"

...

"So how long are you going to be in Republic City for?" They were trotting around the city on the back of Naga, watching some of the restoration of the city when they came by the park and she stopped.

There was a street orator there ripping down the few Amon signs that were still around and wilting under Korra's glare. They started to ride again.

"Officially my mission here will be over once Republic City is stable again. That is, the council and police force have been filled. Otherwise it's your call." She turned and looked at him.

"My call?" He nodded and explained.

"Technically as the Avatar you have the power, same as Republic City and the other Nations, to call for the United Armies to come to your aid. Since it was your call and not Councilmen Tenzin's...we're yours, for now."

"Hmm." He saw that she had a darker than evil grin on her face and trembled for a second.

"Do you like to dance, General Iroh?"

"Somehow, I am guessing you don't mean in the ballroom."


	2. Midnight Dredging

AN: Err, well. Not as humerus as I thought it would be.

...

"Korra. We found pieces." She had ha phone installed in her room after the council woke up Pema and the baby four nights in a row, but it usually wasn't Chief Bei Fong that was on the other line.

"Whaaaat?" The word came out with the yawn that was ignored.

"Come down to the cleanup crew. We need you to identify bodies." She closed her eyes and sighed before rolling out of bed. Korra was careful not disturb anybody and that included her teammates. They had been wearing themselves out with the restoration of the city and organization of the people. That and informing bender who had suffered that they could get their bending back.

She glided across the water in the moonlight leaving track of ice behind her. Even in the middle of the night the metalbenders were working on clearing the water ways of all the bombs and ship pieces.

The former Sato industry warehouses were being used to restore the United Army ships and a few of the men were there to put the pieces in their order.

"Chief Bei Fong?" The woman had been working tirelessly since getting back her bending. Every now and then Korra would swear she felt he earth ripple from the woman, as if she were reassuring herself of the bending.

"Korra. Debris from a small ship had been found twenty kilometeres from here by Bumi's ships. Most of the materials retrieved were Equitist weapons and these," She gestured at the white blankets on the dock that were being carefully avoided.

There wasn't much left of them but it was Tarrlock, and Noatok.

"I guess this makes our job easier, doesn't it?" They shared a look and put the bodies away again.

"Very well, you can return to bed. We will discuss this with Tenzin in the morning." She shook her head.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep now. Do you guys need any help here?" She felt bad. Everyone was rebuilding the city and she was on the island doing training. They told her it was alright but it never felt like it.

"If Chief Bei Fong doesn't mind, we could use a waterbender to dredged up pieces from the water's bed. Earthbending wouldn't hurt either." Foorsteps stopped a little ways away from them. General Iroh was there and still in uniform.

"Do you guys never sleep? Sure, I can help." It looked like she was getting a headache from us.

"This is going to go over so well. Don't blow yourself up, Korra." Iroh smirk at the water.

"You know, maybe if she were taught how to metalbend..." Wow. The look she gave us could have froze the bay."

"I'll just...leave this here." She tore her coat off and dove into the chilly night water. Periodically there were pieces of metal that she would toss at towards the docks- if they had any self preservation no one would be standing there like a turtleduck.


	3. Heart Chakra

AN: No, this is not the implication Korra/Tahno, not that there is anything wrong with that. This also begins to deal with the Mako and the greater duty of the avatar.

…

He pressed a kiss to her mouth as they walked into the stadium and managed to make three people feel uncomfortable. It wasn't something Korra was used to. She still hadn't been able to look Asami in the eye.

"Mako, stop. We have stuff to do. " They had decided to get pro-bending up and running again to bring some life back to the city and she was going to help energy bend some of Amon's victims. What she really wanted to do was be able to explain how to waterbend like that but it was always escaping her in words.

Tahno was the first one there.

"Hey, it's okay Tahno. It's not like the person you made fun or and cheated out of a championship is saving your ass or anything," Bolin broke the tension and gave some little ribbing to Tahno. He still looked a little sickly.

"Bolin that's not nice. Now, get on your knees." They started laughing and pounded their fists. Tahno was compiling and looked almost hopeful on his face. It seemed to be too much. Korra moved til she felt the energy rise out of Tahno and-

…

_The heart chakra. _

…

"Korra!" She jerked up and had Mako holding her up. Tahno was spread across the floor, sprawled out, but looking delighted. The water underneath the stadium was responding to his movements, if his laughter meant anything.

"Are you okay?" They were all looking at her and Korra felt something shift inside of her for the first time. The stadium, even without use was too bright.

"I need to go back to the temple. I need to ask Tenzin about a few things." Mako tensed while holding her up. Bolin wasn't afraid to speak his mind (like an earth bender)

"But what about all the pro-benders that need their bending back?" He looked almost betrayed. Korra shook her head. She could-wouldn't abuse the second chance that Aang had given her. She was the Avatar and needed to _be_ the Avatar, a living spirit, she needed to be Avatar Korra, someone to keep the balance on earth. Korra would have loved to spend her life pro-bending, but Korra came last.

"I will get them sooner or later. There are things I need to figure out first. If I have another accident-"

"Korra you won't mess up, it was probably a one time thing," She shook out of his arms and started towards the exit even as the crowd started crying in outrage.

"I'm sorry, but tell them to come to the temple in drips and drabs and…" She tensed and looked back, "Send the earthbender in first."

…

"Avatar Korra, I did not expect to see you back so soon." General Iroh was still working at the wreckage of Yue Bay, the same place she had to pass on by to get to Air Temple Island. She saw him look at her strangely and ask her if something was wrong.

"I never paid much attention to the chakras, but I still learned them. When Mako was in trouble, my airbending opened up…" General Iroh nodded, "The heart chakra, yes." Korra felt her face turn red and looked away.

"But the last chakra…it means no earthly attachments. I need to know what that means and what Avatar Aang did about it." She knew the love story between himself and Sifu Katara. Someone so in love couldn't possibly detach themselves, could they?

"Seems like a wise choice, Avatar Korra. Let me, hmm. I think there is something I can do to help, actually. My grandfather's journals mentioned the times he trained with Avatar Aang and his own bending block. I will have them sent to you."

Korra smiled and hoisted herself onto Naga.

"Thank you, General Iroh. If you still need help dredging just come find me. I think once Tenzin gets through with me, I'm going to need to blow some stuff up."


	4. Choices

AN: Short, separate pieces aren't something I usually do but it seems to be working for this. And thank you all for the lovely alerts and reviews.

…

Korra opened her eyes and felt the earth underneath her before her body slide into place. From the looks of the sky she had been in meditation for the better part of the day.

"Did you find the answers that you needed?" The apparition of Aang was still in front of her, all smiles and encouragement, even against some of her angrier questions. It was easy to see now that most of Tenzin's temperament came from Sifu Katara than the avatar and that Bumi was more like their father, but that was a different matter entirely.

"So that's you and Sifu Katara. And your own heart chakra. You never had to give it all up anyway." He looked towards the temple where the girls and air acolytes were cooing over little Rohan.

"The Avatar will always be separated. When I asked the Order to take care of you, I had meant so that you would be your own person. Imagine if Toph or Zuko had found you first and raised you with only me in mind. You should be proud of who you grew up to be."

"Thanks, Aang." Korra closed her eyes again and Aang faded away from sight leaving the emerging twilight for her to see. Between the bustling insides to the reconstruction in the city there was noise being echoed everywhere like in the air. She got up and marched over to Tenzin's office, mulling over who could be contacted for appointments.

"Tenzin, I have a plan." She explained what she thought they needed to do. Even though Firelord Zuko's journals wouldn't arrive for at least three weeks, asking Aang had been telling in itself.

"This isn't going to go over well. You will not gain much support for this." The nervousness she was feeling was still there. It only seemed a little deeper down now.

"There are going to be some exceptions. All of the metalbenders under Chief Bei Fong but otherwise."

"I will stand besides you as always." There was that smile she needed. "I will also tell my mother to prepare your old room. You might need to leave the city immediately." Or not.

…

"General Iroh! Do you know what's going on?" Iroh turned to see the rest of team avatar approaching the podium where Avatar Korra was going to speak that after noon about the state of those who had lost their bending. She could be seen from the shadows flanked by Councilman Tenzin and Chief Bei Fong.

"This will be news for us all. She's starting."

Mako looked up at Korra. From the many times she had been dragged up there willingly and unwillingly this was the most relaxed she had been.

"Republic City. As some, well all of you know, among the victims of Amon's revolution and treason were civilians and our police force, not to mention the reactions of the task Force. Both benders and non-benders found themselves hurt. The city needs time and help to make itself heal. All I can do for you is to restore the bending abilities taken away." The crowd started cheering but she wasn't done. Mako wondered why she would want to explain something so straight forward.

"I was the Avatar that couldn't connect to the spirit world until it was too late. Mastering three bending disciplines and tying myself completely to this world stunted me and it hurt all of you. For that I am sorry. If this conflict has taught us anything is that we need to accept both sides of ourselves." She took a breathe and looked at the crowd as if she were looking through them.

"What I am not going to apologize for is that I won't return any of your bending. " The crowd roared.


	5. Ancient History

AN: I rewatched the series and the hardest part about this installment was the Mako problem. It's really hard not to dislike him but as a friend of Korra he doesn't deserve that. This is a part of bringing that to a peaceful mediation. More Iroh next time to make up for this lack.

…

"And that's enough for today everyone! If you go back down to the pier there will be a ferry to escort you back to Republic City." Korra wiped the sweat from her forehead as the five people in front of her fell to the mats in even worse condition.

"Avatar Korra are you certain that-"

"Not really you're call to make. C'mon Korra, I'm here to save you from the perils of hard work and sweat." It was one of the greatest reliefs in the past few months that she and Asami weren't normal together- they were even _better_. The well-dressed arm hooked into hers as they hurried past the doors before another pro-bender could complain about their maltreatment.

They were here for how she _would_ help them. Everything Amon did worked because he had fear and managed to block their heart chakras. Korra could fix them but that wouldn't change anything. They should be able to fix themselves. (She was proven right a few weeks back when a little firebending boy got his flames back. He lit the candles on his own birthday cake).

"You know Asami with a little help we could probably open all your chakras, too." Asami shook her head.

"We've been over this, Korra. There is nothing wrong with being a non-bender. In fact the whole theory you're working with _came_ from non-benders." Korra shrugged and untangled herself near the window. The breeze felt good after the workout.

"Avatar Aang thought that if he released Ty Lee's bending that she would be a bender. She didn't agree. But we'll never know now."

"She knew herself and that she wasn't a bender." They'd had this conversation before and they hit on only the important points with each reiteration.

"But benders change. Azula changed so incredibly that they thought it was spirits." Azula had never set foot in Republic City. She was also still alive and most over the age of thirty still shivered at her name.

"So says the _Water Tribe Avatar_, your chakra is naturally meant to forget the past." Water Chakra, something none of the hard headed benders seemed to lack. They could forget their shortcomings all too easily.

"I'm not just a one trick chakra kind of girl." As usual they'd come to the end of the discussion with neither winning.

"No, and Mako was your heart chakra."

Korra felt herself seize up and go into a cold shiver. They had never _actually_ talked about the Mako thing but if Asami thought it was like that, then Korra really couldn't do anything to fix their friendship.

"Asami, I…"

"I heard that you had something for him and I wanted to hate you for it. But then nothing happened between you two and I read something in the journal General Iroh told me to give you." Asami pulled a green bound book out of her pocket with fading pages that smelled like charcoal.

"I read that the nature of the Avatar and the Heart Chakra is to give it up. You never meant for it to happen, did you Korra?"

Korra wanted to admit that yeah, she did still have that crush on Mako. The problem was that he was just among a group of people now and that so many people came into her life that his needs just didn't seem as vibrant as before. There were more than two people willing to take a walk with her now.

"I'm still sorry, Asami. I'm part of the reason you two didn't work out either. But if you don't mind me asking, why are you still sponsoring the team?" A real smile broke out on the heiresses face as she toss the journal over and made to leave. Before exiting the door she slapped Korra on the ass.

"Just because I'm not dating either of them doesn't mean _looking_ is out of the question, is it?"

Korra whooped with laughter that echoed around the temple.


End file.
